Camera front



. A BY Z J' ZZ'b ,5 ATTORNEY 1m. 27. 1925 1,524,289 J. CHRISTIE CAMERA FRONT? Filed Aug. 16," 1922 v I VENTQR. t/ok/a 153w Patented Jan. 27, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN CHRISTIE, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO EASTMAN KODAK COM- PANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW' YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CAMERA FRO NT.

Application filed August 16, 1922.

T 0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN CHRISTIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe, State of New York, have invented cert-an new and useful Improvements in Camera Fronts of which the following is a specification.

My present invent-ion relates to photog raphy and more particularly to photographic cameras of the type in which the front is supported by a carriage slidableon a bed into and out of focusing posit on and it has for its object to provide simple and efficient means for maintaining the front and carriage rigid when in operative or focused position. A further object of the invent'on is to provide a. device of this nature that will be automatic in its action and to these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and conlbinat'on of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is top plan view of a camera bed and front constructed in accordance with and illustrat'ng one embodiment of my invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse section through the bed and carriage, the upper portion of the front being broken away.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the bed and carriage on the line 3-3 Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the spring catch.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

My improvements are applicable to earneras of the fixed focus type in which the lens carriage or front is drawn outto and halted in a single position on the bed for photographing at all distances or to cameras in which the carriage is drawn out to a definite position on an extension bed which in turn is slidable on a main bed to carry the front and lens board in any one of several focusing positions. In the present instance I have illustrated an arrangement of the latter type and referring more particularly to the drawings 1 indicates the main bed provided with guides 2 and 3 the extension bed slidable in said guides and in turn provided with tracks 4 upon which the carriage 5 is slidable being provided with ways 6 engag- Serial No. 582,109.

ing the tracks at top and bottom and on the inner sides. At each side of the carriage 5 is a post 7 supporting the lens board 8 connected to the camera body by bellows 9 and carrying the lens as usual.

A suitable stop is provided for hurting the outward movementof the carriage on the extension bed and in the present instance this consists of a plate 8 adjustably secured to the bed by a screw 9 and having an offset providing a stop shoulder 10. This, in con junction with an opposing locking shoulder 11, is engaged by a catch on the carriage manually operated by one of two finger grip posts 12 and 13. The latch is not shown because, in detail, it constitutes no part of the present invention.

The stop plate 8 is slotted at 14 and adjustable beneath the screw 9 for the purpose of adapting it to the focal length of the particular lens being fitted, it being realized in the art that different lenses of the same specificat on are apt to vary slightly. Similarly arranged on the opposite side of the bed so that there is one plate adjacent to each track 4: is another plate 15 slotted at 16 for adjustment beneath clamping screws 17. Each plate is provided at the rear end and at the same point in the path of the carriage with an upwardly project-ing rounded button 18 constituting a cam detent. Beneath the carriage 5 and preferably at each side thereof is riveted or similarly secured thereto as at 19 an upwardly yielding spring catch 20 having, in the present instance, the form shown in Figure 4. The end 21 opposite the secured end described is free and rides against the under surface of the carriage while the intermediate portion is offset downwardiy and bent to form aforward shoulder 22 When the carriage is drawn out to the limit and lodges against the stop shoulder 10, the spacing of the parts is such that the shoulder 22, through the flexing of the spring catch, will first ride over the button or cam detent 18 in each instance and then lodge in front of it in the manner shown in Figure 3 so that, although yieldable to substantial pressure exerted against the carriage in a rearward direction, its tendency is to lock the carriage against the stop 10. The prime function of the spring catches 20 is, however, to press upwardly, when flexed by this engagement, against the under side of the carriage and assist in steadying it holding it rigidly to itsv held'steady and erect in operative position.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a camera, the combination with a bed provided with a track and a lens oarriage movable thereon to focusing position, of means for tensioning the engagement of thecarniage ,and track-in a vertical direction when the, carriage, is in said focusing 'position. I y Y 2. In a camera, the combination with a, bed provided with atrack and a lens carriage movable thereon to focusing position,

ofmeans arranged between the bed and vcar- ,r V V carriage and track in an upward direction when the carriage is in said focusing position. 7

3. In a camera, the combination with a bed prov ded wlth a track and a lens carriage movable thereon-to focusing :position,

of yieldingly cooperating devices on the bed g8 for tensioning the engagement of the ride upon and lock with the detent andcarriage, respectively, tor tensioning the latter in an ipwart l dinection against its track when the carriage is in fociising position.

4. In a camera, thecombinationwith a bed provided with a track and a lens carriage movable thereon to focusing position, of cam detent on the bed and a yielding spring catch secured to the bottom of the carriage for tens oning the latter in an upward direction againstits track, when-the carriage is in focusing position. I

5. In a camerznithe combination with a bed provided with e t1facl-i,a car movable thereon to focusing positionland a stop on the bed for .d e fi ning ,the latter'position of ,the carriage, of ajcamdetent on the bed aiid an iiplwardly yielding sprin :catch on the mderside 6mm cufri ,kadgtpted to tain the Tcarriageagainst the stop tension it In an upward direction in: its track. Y

. or N- CHRISTIE. 

